A bearing arrangement for a rotary drum of the above type is disclosed, for example, in (DE-AS 1 108 718). Such a known arrangement includes a large number of load-carrying rollers around the circumference of the race for carrying the load, such that the load on the circumference of the race is distributed over many load-carrying rollers and that, accordingly, the rotary drum is supported evenly at its circumference. Together, the load-carrying rollers of this known bearing extend, with their pivot and self-aligning bearings, side-by-side in a common radial plane.
During the operation of a rotary drum of a large cylindrical rotary kiln, small changes in the position of the race occur which may vary in size along the circumference of the race, due to the deformation and bending of the rotary drum and the race attached thereto, and due to the thermal expansion of the rotary drum. Such changes in the position of the race are to be feared, above all when the race is made of a combination of various ring segments. In the latter case, part of the load-carrying rollers will be subjected to damaging side and edge loads which may try to push the load-carrying rollers of the rotary drum bearing out of their radially plane, either jointly or individually. These side and edge loads may cause relatively severe contact wear on the rolling surfaces of the load-carrying rollers, and on the surface areas of the race. In addition, these parasitic loads may place a considerable load--even an excessive load--on the accompanying pivot and self-aligning bearings.